Gem Spa Cash Mob & Art Event

#SaveNYC is hosting a cash mob at Gem Spa to help support this beloved East Village business--and keep it alive. Come prepared to spend some money — egg creams, pretzels, t-shirts, toothpaste! — and take your photo with a surprise work of guerrilla street art, as an acclaimed group of cultural activists and designers radically transform Gem Spa into a dystopian vision for the new St. Mark’s Place.

Saturday, September 14th. Noon

Gem Spa - 131 Second Avenue, NYC

The City Of Tomorrow

At long last, the Small Business Jobs Survival Act is getting a hearing. Come celebrate, meet and mingle, and strategize next steps for this important event and beyond.

Jeremiah Moss and others will be speaking on the importance of this historic bill. David Eisenbach, the anti-REBNY candidate for Public Advocate, will talk about his work and what we can do to get ready for the public hearing later in October.

Dream Baby is giving #SaveNYC an extended happy hour: $4 for beer and well drinks, $2 off everything else.

Wednesday, October 3rd. 7-9PM.
Dream Baby - 162-164 Avenue A, NYC

Not Another Starbucks

Another Starbucks is planned for the huge storefront at 125 St Mark's Place at Avenue A. We don't need more chains in the East Village! We need retail diversity and independently owned local businesses! Join community groups and local shop owners from East Village Independent Merchants Association and more to stand up for the unique character of the East Village. Support policies that can promote retail diversity, prevent chain stores and preserve small businesses! Join community groups and local shop owners from the East Village Independent Merchants Association for a protest on Thursday, July 13th at 5:30pm.

Challah! Por Favor

Beloved East Village landmark B&H Dairy Restaurant, at 127 Second Avenue, was closed since the massive March 26th explosion and fire, which destroyed half of Second Avenue between 7th Street and St. Marks Place. Neighboring restaurants reopened within weeks, but B&H was forced to remain closed due to previously unforeseen upgrades needed on the 70+ year old restaurant (among them was a new exhaust venting to the roof and fire suppression system at a cost of nearly $30,000). Finally after more red tape than thought possible, B&H reopened to much fanfare and happy hungry faces!

Pictured top to bottom: Fawzy Abdelwahed (B&H co-owner), Ms. Florence Bergson Goldberg (daughter of the original

B&H Diary owners), her husband, and current co-owner Aleksandra Abdelwahed. All photographs by Beatriz Elena Rodriguez © 2015

Stand Up For NYC

Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and District 2 Council Member Rosie Mendez (pictured) hosted a tour of the East Village with local business owners, community members and elected officials on Friday, May 29th. The "Follow Me Friday" event highlighted and promoted East Village businesses recovering from the aftermath of the March 26th building explosion, beginning with a moment of silence at the site of the explosion. #SaveNYC members walked alongside other New Yorkers to show their support.

Spend On Second

After a disaster like the Second Avenue explosion and fire, impacted small businesses struggle to survive. Some don’t make it. Especially the old favorites. #SaveNYC is holding a Small Biz Crawl along Second Avenue to bring customers, cash, and attention to those mom-and-pops in need!